Leave it to a Democratic governor to spin a $500 million tax grab as tax relief for beleaguered homeowners.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick last week revealed what he claims makes good on a campaign promise to provide property tax relief to homeowners. Patrick would offer property owners who meet income limits a break of up to $870 on their income taxes. The plan would be funded by closing “loopholes” in the corporate tax code.

Patrick’s early estimates are that the tax credit for homeowners would cost $75 million in 2009. The closing of the corporate tax loopholes raises $500 million a year. What happens to the extra $425 million? Why, the state gets to spend it, of course.

“Ups and downs” the weekly thumbs up and down editorial gets the focus here today.

Thumbs Down

Superior Court Judge Diane Kottmyer’s decision to disallow as evidence text messages sent by slay suspects Peter and Daniel McGuane of Ayer is troubling. Kottmyer sided with defense attorneys, stating that the messages should have been seized by a warrant, instead of by the grand jury order used by the district attorney’s office.

Sledding is a fun winter activity for youngsters, but — much like bicycle riding and skiing — it can be dangerous. To avoid tragedy, parents should insist that their children wear helmets while sledding and always provide adult supervision.

Thumbs Up

Thumbs up to Littleton resident Jeanine Wood who is developing a charitable fund to assist families that cannot afford to pay for field trips and other extracurricular activities.

ONE REASON Senator Evan Bayh isn’t running for president is that it would require him to spend most of his day — every day — raising funds. The Indiana Democrat told National Public Radio that something close to 80 percent of his time would have been taken up begging for money. On Friday, former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack dropped out, saying his campaign had “everything except money.” Over the years, many other candidates have made the same point.

IN THE same week that reporters found Walter Reed Army Medical Center outpatients living in squalor in the nation’s capital, some of the nation’s men and women in uniform were being treated regally in an unlikely place: Harvard University. The university that was a hotbed of protest against the Vietnam War — and still refuses to allow ROTC on campus because of the military’s ban on uncloseted gays and lesbians — was home to a “salute to Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans” attending the John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Business School.

DRIVING THROUGH South End streets dominated by Boston Medical Center, the cabdriver asks if what I really want is not 731 Harrison Ave. but 732 , which is one of BMC’s sturdy buildings and a likely destination.

In fact, however, 731 Harrison is the right address, the location of ArtBlock — a project that was born when the city put out a first-time-ever request for developers to build a project where artists could live and work

Two countries that have suffered more than most from the embrace of the Russian bear are the Czech Republic and Poland. It is gratifying to see their leaders refusing to be bullied by Moscow out of an important defense agreement with the United States.

“Chrysler on the ropes” — in its second editorial of the day The Herald wonders if Chrysler will be able to escape the scrapheap of history.

Chrysler Corp. has done the Perils-of-Pauline routine more than once. This time, the hero might not be able to untie the lass from the tracks before the train arrives. This would park Chrysler in that garage of once-coveted and now dimly remembered names such as Studebaker, Hudson, Pierce-Arrow and hundreds of others. It would leave Ford and General Motors as the only U.S.-owned automakers.

“Net loss” –The Cape Cod Times chides Governor Patrick for his proposed bail out of the fishing fleet.

Let’s say you’re paying a hefty mortgage on six sturdy wagons to haul buffalo hides off the South Dakota prairie. The bills for oats for the horse teams come every month, whether you’re hauling hides or not. Your teamsters and skinners expect a salary, not to mention three meals a day. All the workers at the hide warehouse depend on you, and the cafes and saloons, too.